Tuupala primary school and day-care centre wins the 2018 Wood Award

Tuupala primary school and day-care centre wins the 2018 Wood Award

Friday, November 2, 2018 - 17:00

The 2018 Wood Award goes to Tuupala primary school and day-care centre, with Antti Karsikas of alt Architects Oy and Martti Karsikas of Arkkitehtitoimisto Karsikas Oy were responsible for the project's architectural design.

"The Tuupala primary school and day-care centre in Kuhmo is the first school and day-care centre building in Finland built using CLT. The powerful design makes for a memorable building with a distinct identity. The high ceilings and the foyers tucked underneath them give the building its unique look and make it easy to use. Visitors can easily recognize the design no matter where they are in the building. The beautiful gymnasium also serves as the concert hall for the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival. The feel of wood is very much present in the building, both outside and inside.

The fact that the building was constructed with such excellent results by local professionals is a fine example of Finnish expertise in construction. The transparent communication about the project, both during construction and after completion, has been exemplary. The project can in many ways be considered a successful pioneer and promoter of wood construction in public buildings."

A public vote conducted alongside the Wood Award competition. There were a record-breaking total of votes given this year, almost 14,000 votes. Top three received over 70 percent of the votes.The competition between the top three was even.

The Tuupala primary school and day-care centre won the public vote by 27 percent of the votes cast. For the second place public voted Mehtimäki multipurpose stadium / Arkkitehtitoimisto Lappalainen & Korjonen Oy, which was given 26 percent of the votes. On the third place was Pro Nemus -visitor centre / UKI Arkkitehdit Oy with 20 percent of the votes.

A total of 21 proposals were received by the end of the submission period. The screening panel selected 20 candidates to compete for the Puupalkinto award and the public vote. These entries represent a very extensive range of the use of wood in construction. The competition jury considered the entries to be of very high quality.

The Wood Award is handed out every year as an encouragement to a building, decoration or structure that represents high-quality, Finnish architecture or in which wood has been used in a way that improves construction technology. The Wood Award has been given out since 1994. This marks the 21st award being presented. The award is granted by Puuinfo.

When selecting the winner, the jury pays special attention to the architectural quality of the site, the innovative nature of how wood is used and the overall attention attracted by the site.

The 2018 award’s jury included Puulehti's editor-in-chief Mikko Viljakainen and Hilppa Iittiläinen and Kirsi Pellinen, who are members of Puulehti's editorial board.